The Sinclair QL, with its counterintuitive genius - cheap, small, multitasking, and modular - offers a design philosophy that could inspire a new generation of devices combining clarity, thrift and hacker-friendly expandability.
A nostalgic deep-dive into AOL Instant Messenger screen names - why they were witty, awful, aspirational and unforgettable; the social mechanics that shaped them; and how they still echo in today's username culture.
A nostalgic deep-dive into the features that made Hotmail a webmail revolution - the cheeky HoTMaiL name, the 'Free Web-Based Email' promise, colorful themes, early filters and spam defenses - and how those design choices shaped the inboxes we use today.
Before streaming made everything frictionless (and vaguely exploitative), MP3.com quietly rewired how artists reached listeners. This post traces its rise, legal fall, and the lessons modern musicians and platforms should still be borrowing.
How a $300 plastic keyboard and 5KB of RAM forced elegant design, seeded an ethic of accessibility, and still whispers in the ears of modern indies. From PICO-8 jams to Celeste's origins, the VIC-20's constraints shape today's aesthetics, UX, and development practices.
A comparative exploration of Microsoft Encarta and Wikipedia - two rival philosophies of knowledge. How did editorial control, community participation, accuracy, and business models shape their destinies? And could a modern, curated Encarta thrive in an era built on network effects and free information?
The Commodore 64 is either a dusty relic or a secret ancestor of modern electronic music. This piece separates myth from influence: how the C64’s SID chip bent constraints into creativity, why its sound still matters, and what contemporary artists - speaking under pseudonyms - actually borrow from that tiny silicon heart.
Netscape's Navigator rewired the world - and then lost it. This post traces the rapid ascent from 1994 breakout to 1998 decline, analyzes the strategic errors that handed the crown to Internet Explorer, and extracts practical lessons every modern startup should memorize.